follow on tumblr
bookmark on delicious
And so summer drew to a close. Always unexpectedly.
Always the idea of summer feels so infinite! Like just the idea of summer conjures up this image of freedom and sunshine, grass and bliss and driving hundreds of miles through dandelions. And yet in the end it ends so suddenly!
Even today I was out all day in Helsinki and today’s sketch came as something natural, but brisk. It surprised me that this was the last day.
I feel that disbelief of summer with an end right now.
Most of that disbelief mingles with a strange surrealism – like this project is not really ending? (It is.) But the ideas it has brought to life are continuing, and that’s where I’m keeping summer alive. I’m keeping my summer thoughts.
And so I feel good and I feel sad at the same time. I feel good that:
And I feel sad that I will leave Finland and that things will be different next year. That latter sadness is much more of a nostalgia though. I’m excited about a malleable new year, and if there’s anything that changed between now and when I started this project it’s that I feel more in control now.
Fitter, happier
I feel in control in my art when I work. I get flustered, but I step back and follow practices I’ve learned to regain perspective and give myself a break. I feel in control by being able to anticipate bad moods, boredom, or other obstacles. And hah, the cornerstone obstacle for artists still has no cure as far as I see – artists block is only helped by not giving yourself a tough time over it and carrying on until inspiration magically strikes. Elizabeth Gilbert put it best in her TEDtalks about nurturing creativity. I’ll keep that video as a reminder to myself next year. It’s easy to say things that are true, but it’s easier to forget that they are so in practice.
I feel in control of my college life, too. I’m excited about the independence of my senior project. I’m excited about learning a new language next year. I’m excited to live in a single and make my last year at Bard an excellent one.
I feel in control of my career as an artist. I’m excited to doggedly chase those creative job openings and to forge my own, in Finland, in the US, wherever.
More productive
Basically, the summer did me good by restoring a little bit of precious mental health and self-fulfillment, self-improvement, self-feng-shui. And I know these things tend to seep out with the tides of stress inherent in every school year, so I’m trying my best to preserve these thoughts and preserve them well. Take a healthy summer mindset with me wherever I go.
And despite all this focus on my cluttered self, I really wouldn’t be the same person without the people in my life. My letters project said it better than I can now. It really is a wonderful feeling to be surrounded by so many people you admire. And I can’t thank you all enough for all the inspiration. How about us all being a part of a huge, creative, thinking, constantly moving conversation… Let’s consume less stuff and produce more good ideas.
And from the most inspiring home page and screensaver Design Quotes Display:
- Andrew Grove
Stop looking at yourself as a designer and start looking at yourself as a deliverer of ideas.
- Stle Melvr
What works good is better than what looks good. Because what works good lasts.
- Ray Eames
A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.
- Antoine De Saint-Exupery
Good design is good business.
- Thomas Watson
It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be.
- Paul Arden
X^&*#@ AWESOME THINGS!
#98 Public drinking is legal in parks in Finland, also Finland is the home of the Lonkero (long drink), a massproduced alcoholic beverage of grapefruit soda and gin. These two facts make an excellent combination for a summer Saturday in Helsinki.
#1 = Finland. Talking best countries officially.
#344 The event of absentmindedly snacking, thinking you’ve finished the snack, and later actually looking down and realizing there is still some left.
In this case it was a raisin but boy did it make my night that much better.
I’ll leave this blog with that. Might continue to post sketches from time to time. Somewhere. Who knows! Also I’ll be conceiving my new website soon, so watch this space. Love and thank you and hope you all had a lovely summer!
kate thornburn
Thanks for sharing your 77 days of summer. I’m a bit sad that you’re done, but am looking forward to seeing what comes out of your studio this year. Congratulations on seeing this project through. It has been quite inspirational to follow. I really appreciated your little card in the mail too. Have a great start to the year at Bard.
Aug 22, 2010 @ 9:37 am
Tara Sheffer
Emma, I have followed your blog for 77 days–77 days of wonder, of breathtaking art, of fantastically creative and inspiring ideas. Your blog has made me go out there and make something, think of something, write down ideas, and has inspired me to make my own blog. I loved sending you letters this summer and getting letters from you. I am SO excited about what you are going to do at Bard with your senior project. I am also excited to bounce ideas off of you, have you crite my work, and maybe collaborate with you. I adore you and can’t wait to see you so soon! We will celebrate the new Bard year will happiness and drink!
Aug 22, 2010 @ 7:20 pm
Sarah
Hey Pinkilocks Emma,
Figured the pinkilocks name-calling would give you a hint which Sarah I am. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the 77 days of sketches! Thanks so much for sharing your summer, and it looks like you had an amazing time. Best of luck in your senior year at Bard, I know you’re going to do great on that senior project you’ll be working on. Do keep me updated, and I hope to see more of your art posted on your website. I remember following your deviantart gallery on almost a weekly basis, good times! Keep smiling and enjoying your life; it’s getting rare these days to see people who are actually truly loving and enjoying their lives. I love your optimism and love of life!
Love and Miss you!
Aug 23, 2010 @ 11:32 am
Frankie
Dear Emma!
Congratulations on the completion and the accomplishment of this project! You make me believe again that dreams are achievable, and that one does not need to sacrifice what one loves under any circumstances. What you believe in is what you are, this is what I’ve learnt from you this summer.
I cannot begin to tell you how proud and fortunate I am to have shared part of my high school with you. And although I am sad that this amazing project has come to an end, I will sure follow up with your other amazing blogs. Keep your spirit up! Your words and works have gotten me out of dark places, and you will always be the light and inspiration of my life =).
Thank you so much.
Love and support always.
Aug 23, 2010 @ 10:25 pm
Sammie
gonna miss this and all it’s inspiration.
thank you so much for sharing!
and this year i will finally and definitely read Everything is Illuminated
Aug 24, 2010 @ 6:46 am
Caitlin
I feel like anything I might say will be a completely inadequate expression of how much I enjoyed watching you produce art and grow as a person. I respect you deeply for being able to go through with the endeavor, and to do so with the infinite grace, goofiness, and pizazz that is Emma Mallinen. I look forward to seeing what you produce this year and to ogling your Senior Project. I look forward, too, to making you foodz to tide you over when you’re about to go nuts with work, and to, hopefully, helping you take yourself less seriously (which might happen over the course of the year, as it does to the best of us). You are welcome at the Purple House, in the Barbie Kitchen, and in the Beach Room (which is, ironically, my room) any time. In fact, I want to tuck you into my disc chair and chain you there so you can never leave. But I digress.
I will see you tomorrow barring some great tragedy.
With love,
Caitlin
P.S. Even though I know you made those cards, and even though I guessed I might get one, actually receiving one made me very happy, so much so that a few tears might have escaped.
Aug 29, 2010 @ 2:46 am